On 23rd January 2025, Kingsley Napley welcomed Joshua Rozenberg to its offices to chair an expert panel to discuss a highly topical issue: “Making Public Inquiries Work”. It was a fascinating event which underlined the need for reform, innovation, and fresh thinking to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public inquiries.
The evening began with an insightful speech by Baroness Sanderson of Welton, who shared key findings from the recent House of Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee report. In addition to outlining the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations, she provided the audience with the benefit of her personal engagement with victims and survivors, including feedback she had received about the importance of lawyers appreciating the human dimension of public inquiries.
This speech was followed by a discussion by a panel of experts comprised of Ken Sutton (Secretary to the Hillsborough Independent Panel), Stephanie Needleman (Legal Director of JUSTICE), Dr Emma Ireton (Associate Professor at Nottingham Law School), Kate Gallafent KC (Blackstone Chambers) and Sophie Kemp (Head of Public Law and Inquiries at Kingsley Napley).
Many important issues were discussed, including the purpose of inquiries, the balance between adversarial and inquisitorial processes, the role of statutory vs. non-statutory models, how to control the length and cost of inquiry proceedings, and the importance of good communication. All panellists agreed on the importance of defining the purpose of each inquiry at the outset to manage expectations and ensure focus. The discussion also underlined the need for effective implementation mechanisms to ensure recommendations drive meaningful change.
The panel discussion was followed by an audience Q&A, after which the conversation continued over drinks and canapés.
We are very grateful to our speakers for their thought-provoking contributions and to Joshua Rozenberg for his expert chairing of the event.
Further information
If you have any questions, please contact Emily Carter or Natalie Cohen in our Public Law team.
Share insightLinkedIn X Facebook Email to a friend Print